The Way Things Shall Be
by N.S.Bennett
Summary: Edmund Pevensie meets Kitty Bennet at a party - a love story ensues. Also contains a Twilight sub-plot between Lucy Swift  Pevensie  and Seth Clearwater


Edmund looked around the room. The thudding bass frustrated him – did no one appreciate decent music anymore?  
>"God, isn't this music horrible?" His best friend Lucy said as she wormed up beside him. Of course, Lucy would hate it. Edmund grinned down at her.<br>"Dreadful. Don't they know that Muse or Red Jumpsuit Apparatus exist?" Edmund shouted into her ear as a drunken boy turned the music up louder. But Lucy didn't reply. She was staring at a boy that had just walked into the living room. He was tall with tan skin and black hair and a familiar face. "That's Seth Clearwater." Edmund said into Lucy's ear. "It's his sister Leah's party." Lucy's head snapped to look at him.  
>"You know him?"<br>"Of course I do. We're on the cross country team together." Edmund said. Lucy turned back to look at Seth who had turned his head and was now staring at Lucy. A knowing smile on his face, Edmund bowed out of the situation and walked into the kitchen to get another drink. He searched through the bottles but they all contained some form of alcohol and since Edmund didn't drink he felt a bit stuck.  
>"Hey. I know where they keep cans of Coke if you want one." A girl's voice said from beside him and Edmund turned to thank her and found himself looking at what was quite possibly the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. She was almost as tall as Edmund, with brown curly hair and sun-kissed skin. She raised an eyebrow when Edmund made no sign of reply and clicked her fingers in his face. Edmund blinked and nodded. "Come on then Dopey." She said brightly, grabbing Edmund's wrist and dancing off to the cupboard under the stairs. Edmund woke up then and realised what she had said.<br>"Did you just call me Dopey?" He asked incredulously. The girl widened her eyes in a look that very much implied 'Duh'. She flicked the latch and opened the little cupboard and grabbed two cans. She used one to open the other and handed the open one to Edmund before opening her own.  
>"Cheers." They chorused and touched cans before taking that first sip.<br>"So what are you doing here? I don't recall seeing you at school." Edmund said.  
>"Oh, I'm an old childhood friend of Leah's. We used to do ballet together."<br>"Ballet? Wow that's impressive."  
>"Yeah, I quit when I was six. I've never been entirely co-ordinated, which is why I tend to hang out in the hallway or kitchen at house parties."<br>"Well, welcome to the zoo. I mean they're mating," Edmund pointing to a couple by the door, but you couldn't really see the girl's face, "and they're alpha male-ing," he said, pointing to a pair of boys that had just shoved out the sliding doors with about five people following them, "and I'm a visitor to the zoo like you."  
>The girl laughed, "You're funny. I might write that down, that 'alpha male-ing' line, that was pretty awesome." She looked up at Edmund, "I'm Kitty, by the way. Kitty Bennet."<br>"Edmund Pevensie." He replied, holding his hand out for Kitty to shake, but instead she side-fived it. "Original." He grinned. "So, Kitty. What school do you go to?"  
>"Oh, my family just moved back here so I'll be going to Pompeii High." She replied and Edmund nearly spat Coke all over the floor. "From that reaction, I'm guessing you go to Pompeii High." Kitty said, crumpling her forehead.<br>"Yeah. Fifth Year." Edmund said and it became Kitty's turn to nearly spit Coke on the floor. "I guess we'll have some classes together then." Kitty looked at him and grinned, her grey-green eyes sparkling in the dim lighting of the hallway. "This should be a fun year."  
>Kitty nodded, "Oh yeah." And Edmund couldn't help bursting into laughter and the sound was such a surprise that Kitty began laughing too. Soon they were standing in the hallway laughing their heads off like a pair of hyenas.<br>"Kit-Kat, come dance!" Leah said, grabbing Kitty's free hand. Kitty handed her can to Edmund who followed the two girls into the dark living room. Edmund watched the way that Kitty moved to the music, completely self-conscious yet having a great time. He watched as she and Leah performed corny clubbing moves (Big Fish, Little Fish and Lost in the Woods anyone?) and mouthed along to the words of the song. When the song was finished Kitty stayed for another one, but as soon as someone distracted Leah, she slipped away back over to Edmund who handed back her can.  
>"Not bad for someone who is unco-ordinated." He said casually and took a sip of his Coke. Kitty shrugged.<br>"I try." She said. "I love parties and I find that it's so much more amusing when you're a sober spectator."  
>"Do you like People Watching?" Edmund asked.<br>"Love it." Kitty smiled and Edmund noticed for the first time what a great smile she had. "Hey, Dopey, wake up." She said, clicking in front of his face again.  
>"That's going to be your nickname for me isn't it?" Edmund groaned.<br>"I am going to call you Dopey and you shall be mine. You shall be my Dopey." Kitty said.  
>"You stole that from Finding Nemo." Edmund smiled.<br>"True. Damn Ellen DeGeneres and her awesome catch phrases." Kitty clicked in disappointment. "So do you have any friends or are you a bit of a loner?" Kitty asked, "I don't mind if you're either."  
>"I have friends. I actually came with a friend tonight, Lucy Swift, but I appear to have lost track of her. Which is bad, because I promised her parents I'd walk her home."<br>"That's sweet. So are you and Lucy a thing?" Kitty asked, mentally preparing herself for disappointment.  
>"Oh, God, no! She's more of a little sister – she's a year younger than me. I have a very protective need over her. I have to make sure she's okay and her parents give me the responsibility of keeping her safe at parties like this." Edmund relayed all this information to Kitty whilst straining on his tiptoes to see if he could spot Lucy. Suddenly there was a light pressure on his arm that sent a small wave of electricity up his arm.<br>"Edmund, don't worry. We'll find her. Where was she last? Who was she with?" Kitty asked calmly.  
>"She was in here and she was on her own. She was staring at Seth, Seth Clearwater. They seemed pretty taken with each other actually." Edmund chuckled quietly.<br>"She'll be alright. Seth's a good guy. He'll look after her. We should probably split up. You can look around outside and I'll have a look in here. They can't have gone far if you're supposed to be walking her home." And before Edmund could protest, Kitty had melted into the crowd of partiers. Edmund rolled his eyes and walked out into the night. It was considerably chillier than when they had arrived and a bit darker too. Luckily the Clearwaters had lamps on their outside walls and they were switched on. Edmund spotted them in an instant. Seth and Lucy were sitting on a bench together and they were talking in low voices, intertwining and untangling and intertwining their fingers together.  
>"There you are Lu. I was looking for you." Edmund said, smiling at the young couple. "Hey, Seth, how are you buddy?"<br>"I'm good man, how are you?" Seth asked after they performed a complicated handshake – only known amongst the boys of the cross country team.  
>"Not bad. My legs were killing me after training on Friday." Edmund laughed.<br>"Ed, did you find them?" Kitty asked as she appeared outside. "Gah, I hate drunk people."  
>"Hey Kitty." Seth said, a protective arm around Lucy.<br>"Hey Seth. Y'alright?" Kitty asked. Seth nodded. "Cool beans."  
>"I'll leave you to it. I'm gonna go home now. Are you coming with me Lu or will Seth escort you?"<br>"Seth can walk me home. I'll see you tomorrow Ed." Lucy said, standing to hug her best friend goodbye. "It was nice to meet you Kitty."  
>"She seems nice." Kitty said as they walked back inside.<br>Edmund nodded, "Yeah. She's a pretty cool girl. I've never known anyone as calm and mellow as her." Kitty nodded, her face showing her surprise and absorption of the new information. "Do you want me to walk you home?"  
>"I don't want to put you out of your way." Kitty said.<br>"Okay, let me amend that statement. Where do you live because I'm walking you home?" Edmund said. Kitty giggled.  
>"Greensborough Road." She said and Edmund walked into the doorframe.<br>"I live on Greensborough Road." He said. Kitty's eyes shone with excitement.  
>"Yeah, I moved into the house on the corner." Kitty said. "Are you walking me home or what?"<br>Edmund smiled.


End file.
